Quote:
Originally Posted by ethereal_reality
...You can clearly see the underdeveloped area of Montecito Heights in this 1958 view from atop L.A. City Hall...
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Thanks for that photo. It really fascinated me and as you realized, it's a great, mirror-image opposite of the color photo I shot this weekend.
And ironically, if you took the elevator to the top of City Hall tomorrow and looked towards Montecito Heights, I'll bet that it would look about the same as in your 1958 image.
In the last couple days I've found a few sites about Montecito Heights, and it's interesting to see what the locals have to say. Right now, Foursquare Church is seeking permission to develop this land though naturally, and fortunately, there's plenty of community resistance. It will be interesting to see how the story "develops".
The L.A. newspapers seem to ignore Montecito Heights. When I searched the Times database (which covers 1881-1988) looking for stories, there was almost nothing at all. This is amazing to me -- I mean, you can find hundreds (maybe thousands) of articles about Laurel Canyon, Watts, or Silver Lake.
As I wrote the other day, there is much, much more to see around here than my little photo essay, which mainly focused on the roads and the views of downtown, might suggest. Exploring the area last year, I was amazed by the mixture of ages and styles in the homes around there. You see million dollar mansions, abandoned old shacks, and everything in between. There are a lot of really rough dirt roads, and you have to remind yourself that you're in L.A.
Well, end of rant, but glad you enjoyed the photos, e_r. I'll have to go back some day and get more images of the homes, and of the many old stairways.